Supreme Court of California

A landowner that hires an independent contractor may be liable to the contractor's employee if: 1) the landowner knew, or should have known, of a latent or concealed preexisting hazardous condition on its property; 2) the contractor did not know and could not have reasonably discovered the hazardous condition; and 3) the landowner failed to warn the contractor about the condition.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/19/2005
• Published 12/19/2005

Judges

• MORENO, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley, Mark G. Bonino and Elisa Nadeau, San Jose, for American International Companies as Amicus Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Horvitz & Levy, David M. Axelrad, Stephen E. Norris, Encino;  Walsworth, Franklin, Bevins & McCall, Michael T. McCall, Robert M. Channell, Cyrian B. TabuenaandAllan W. Ruggles, Orange, for Defendant and Appellant., Charles H. Haake, Washington, DC;  Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Andrea E. Neuman, Irvine;  Knott & Glazier, Steven E. Knott and Guy P. Glazier, Los Angeles, for Lockheed Martin Corporation as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold and Frederick D. Baker, San Francisco, for American Chemistry Council as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Deborah J. La Fetra and Timothy Sandefur, Sacramento, for Pacific Legal Foundation as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland, Marc J. Poster and Robert A. Olson, Los Angeles, for Farmers Insurance Exchange, Truck Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Mid-Century Insurance Company as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Graves & King, Patrick L. Graves, Harvey W. Wimer, Riverside, and Dennis J. Mahoney for Lennar Corporation as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Law Offices of Daniel U. Smith, Daniel U. Smith, Kentfield, Ted W. Pelletier;  Wartnick, Chaber, Harowitz & Tigerman, The Wartnick Law Firm, Harvey F. Wartnick, Charles C. Kelly II, Steven M. Harowitz, Stephen M. Tigerman and Richard A. Brody, San Francisco, for Plaintiffs and Respondents., James C. Sturdevant, San Francisco;  Sharon Arkin, Newport Beach;  The Arns Law Firm, Morgan C. Smith, Jonathan E. Davis and Robert S. Arns, San Francisco, for Consumer Attorneys of California as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Respondents.